Abstract
Regular exercising has many health benefits and is rightly seen as positive, socially acceptable behavior. However, for the same reason, there is a high risk that patients and clinicians may overlook the danger of exercise addiction that causes harm in the somatic, emotional and interpersonal spheres. The current state of knowledge did not allow the inclusion of exercise addiction as a specific category in the current classifications ICD-10, ICD-11 and DSM-5. However, this disorder meets the general criteria for addiction and is therefore included in the canon of behavioral addiction. The purpose of the article is to present knowledge that will help in recognizing and understanding the physiological and psychological mechanisms associated with addiction to physical exercise and will introduce available methods of psychotherapy. The article is of areview nature and presents terminology, recognition criteria, epidemiological data, mechanisms of developing addiction, the most popular tools helpful in screening diagnosis or self-diagnosis and risk factors of developing exercise addiction. The authors also took into account the specific location of exercise addiction in the context of other mental disorders, controversies, inconsistencies in research results, and gaps in scientific data related to the discussed phenomenon. The summary proposes further research development pathways.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
